On paper, Joe Joyce stands one fight from Oleksandr Usyk. But the rules have been ripped up in a year that has witnessed just one heavyweight title fight, and Joyce’s defences are down.
A devastating knockout by Zhilei Zhang in April shattered the illusion of Joyce’s indestructability and briefly left his career hanging in the balance. The rematch was agreed relatively quickly, and on 23 September Joyce has the chance to avenge his only defeat since turning professional, against a heavyweight who has been cripplingly underestimated.
“The first fight, I think I was sort of sucked into the realm of ‘Joe Joyce’s chin is indestructible’,” says his former Team GB sparring partner Frazer Clarke.
“It was only after the fight I literally thought about things and thought ‘my god, I was being so naive’. I got sucked in by social media and all the media stuff that Joe Joyce can’t be hurt. He was fighting a real genuine puncher, with a lot of good background in boxing, an Olympic medallist. Everyone got fooled because Zhang was a lot better than anyone thought.
“Because he’s not in the public eye as much over here, people looked past him and thought they’ve got a knockover. But anyone who knows boxing knows what he’s capable of. People look at his age but it wasn’t a problem. He was fresh as a daisy and fit as a fiddle. Now people will take him deadly serious.”
Despite that loss, Joyce has essentially got out of jail free – win on Saturday and he will essentially be back where he started, with an interim belt and as mandatory challenger to fight Usyk. It is perhaps not as daunting a prospect as it was before the Ukrainian’s subpar performance against Daniel Dubois, when many felt he was gifted a recovery period after an alleged low blow.
The question is whether Usyk, or indeed Tyson Fury – who instead of defending his WBC belt is fighting MMA star Francis Ngannou next – will give the winner of Joyce-Zhang an opportunity.
Clarke believes both could be world champion “100 per cent”. Time is running out, however, as Zhang is 40 and Joyce’s pro career has always felt like a race against the clock – he is now 38.
“Obviously Father Time waits for no one and eventually that does catch up on you,” Clarke says. “But they’re both capable. Joe’s the way he is, we know he’s fit, he’s strong, he’s tough and we know Zhang’s a massive puncher. But styles make fights. The winner, they’ll both fancy themselves in that mandatory position. But at the minute, with the politics in the boxing, whether they get the opportunity – and when it is – is another thing to be seen.”
There has been just one title fight in 2023, Usyk-Dubois, representing the lowest return for fans in several decades.
“It’s embarrassing,” Clarke adds.
“Someone somewhere needs to step up and sort it out really. There’s enough people sitting in suits behind desks that should have the power to make these fights. They’ve got to get it done because it’s becoming embarrassing.
“I’m not going to say it’s the fighters even though they have a lot to do with it, it’s got to be the heads of the governing bodies. They surely can decide when these fighters come together and actually get it on.”
Indeed Joyce is one of the few top heavyweights who has never been accused of dodging anyone. If anything, the decision to fight Zhang, with the stakes so high and with far easier opponents waiting in the wings, was a surprise.
“At the same time,” Clarke points out, “People were running with the narrative Joyce isn’t afraid of no one. He’s a proper old school fighter, he fights them all, which is fantastic. The advice probably wasn’t the best; if I was in charge of managing Joe and putting Joe in the right position he wouldn’t have been nowhere near Zhang.
“Fighters sometimes have to be saved from themselves and their own pride. Not dodging anyone, but having a look at a few options because obviously it’s cost him the interim position.
“But listen, if a few more people at the top table had the same attitude as Joyce, the heavyweight title would be getting fought for more regularly. But like I say it’s a two way thing, if I’m thinking of his best interests and getting him to a world champion which must be the aim, in that case you’d probably keep him away. But I commend Joe – he’s a real warrior.”